I am a communications major at Ohio State University. This is the main reason I am going to school. I am exploring my options get into the business to gain experience and see if its a good fit for me.
I have a lot of background in live event promotion and also dealing with investors.
Really it depends on the type and size of the event you are wanting to promote. Sometimes sponsors are enough to get you going depending on what the target market it is and if the ideal audience for the concert matches the sponsors marketing goals. In the event you want to go that route, you'd need to set up some sponsorship packages etc. (also something I've done).
Finding investors can be really tricky if you've never put on a concert before. Usually, It is best to get some sort of track record first- again, I'm not sure the actual context here, but generally you have to create an investible story (i.e.- The first time we did this we only had x amount of money to start with but we accomplished y- so if you will invest Z in the next event- we'll be able to make 10x as much money.
Lastly, Im not sure who the big concert promoters around Ohio State, but I'd look into maybe doing a summer internship with AEG live or AC entertainment in Nashville, or find out who the local promoters are and try and learn from them. Happy to talk more anytime- Hope that helps.
JS
As my company works heavily in the Nashville live entertainment arena (Marathon Music Works, Grand Ole Opry, CMAfest, etc.), I would have to agree with former advisors regarding starting smaller and growing as you have more experience under your belt. Start promoting smaller club entertainment and build a network and history. An internship with a live events-specific focus would be great, but interns in Nashville and LAX rarely see the mechanics of the bigger picture, and are largely relegated to tasks that frame them within a particular silo or vertical. Regarding investments, at the college scene level (meaning bars that cater to college-age demographic and campus venues) it would be a good idea to work with your university's NACA reps to develop some knowledge of how buyers operate and leverage outside sponsorships like soft drink companies, etc. Hope this helps. Obviously, I'd be happy to field a call from you to help out. Best of luck!
Great question. Am going to answer this from an angle of the musician and self-promotion, as I've been doing my own concerts for over 20 years. I started my music career in a college atmosphere as well, so I understand well where you are coming from.
There is a lot to this question, and could be answered several different ways pending on what your goal is.
First, I would ask yourself one simple questions "why" do you want to get into the promotions business? What is it that you are trying to do? Help Musicians? Are you a musician yourself? Make Money?...There are no right or wrong answers, but it's all about poking into the driving force or inner passion behind this endeavor.
You mentioned getting experience and seeing if its a good fit. Do you have any friends that are musicians? Since you are at Ohio State, there are probably many many artists doing shows around the campus. Start by helping one of them with a local show. Do the basic stuff - post flyers, email posts etc, but MOST importantly... get to know what the artists really want/need for their show...what venues to they want to play in? Coffee Shop down the street? Book stores? Then just walk over to these places and start talking. You will learn so much by just talking to other businesses as well. Get to know the people who owns these businesses and ask questions about what would help them? Have they always wanted a solo guitarist to set a mood in their coffee shop? You have the person for them. Get a website going...Start Simple...start small. Build relationships.
You are really in the perfect situation as you have a wealth of supply of artists (within a college campus) who are wanting to get their music out there, and I am sure there are many supportive venues that are willing to book them. Go to one of them whose music you really like, and offer to help them. They will so grateful, and you can start to learn this business from the ground up.
Again, there's a lot to this question, but hopefully this gets you on a good path.
Am happy to chat on the phone with you as well. Good Luck!!
